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Life Lessons: Conversation with a Younger Me
I guess I’m at that age. I’ve made some huge changes in my life, all positive, and in some ways, I feel better than I ever did. But I wonder what took me so long. Could things have been better faster, if I knew then what I knew now? Is this worth regret?
What would I say to my younger self if I could talk to her today?
I would remind her that first, she is not typical — that later on, when she tells people about her life, they’ll have trouble understanding her. I would tell her that working hard and sacrificing everything for her family is not enough. That shuttling between school, home, the factory, and the library isn’t a real childhood. Not many children measure their success at being able to hem six thousand pieces a day, but she does.
It’s ironic, really. So many wonderful adults were selfish children. I didn’t start being selfish—or rather, self-caring—until I had my own kids. And even that took a long, long time.
I see her now and I know what she’s thinking. If she gets everything done, if she does everything right, if she puts her work and family first, everything will be fine. A perfect, predictable capsule where she knows her role and can do it well. Her father…
